It is absolutely criminal that Dak Prescott will not be going to the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys' quarterback played some of the best football of his career in 2025, and yet, he finished with a losing record for the first time in his career.
As such, this season will serve as more ammo for the Prescott cynics. The irony in that is that the Cowboys will catapult into the Super Bowl conversation as long as Jerry Jones hires the right defensive coordinator and overhauls some of the defensive personnel.
It sounds like Prescott is ready for changes to be made on defense. While he didn't throw anybody under the bus, Prescott highlighted a recurring problem this season in his postgame availability (h/t to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News).
"One of the first seasons … I can’t necessarily correlate my play to the wins or losses," Prescott said.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott knows the defense was a disaster in 2025
Prescott would never back the bus over a teammate or coach. But sometimes reading between the lines is all that's necessary.
This marked the first time in Prescott's career that he posted a losing record in a season he finished healthy. He's fully aware of that. That's a big reason why he wanted to start and finish Sunday's finale against the New York Giants. Nobody with a brain would blame this season on Prescott.
The losing record is only a small blemish on Prescott's resume, but he knows he doesn't have many elite seasons left in the tank. In other words, the Cowboys can't afford to have another season sunk by an incompetent defense.
Luckily, it appears Jerry Jones finally understands the urgency. He said he’s the most “dissatisfied” he’s been in a long time. And while Jones has always known how to sell hope through disappointment, the 83-year-old seems to be operating with a different edge.
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Firing Eberlfus has to be the first order of business, but the problems run deeper than that. The Cowboys have been dreadful at drafting defensive players dating back six years. Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Osa Odighizuwa, DeMarvion Overshown, and DaRon Bland are their only notable success stories since 2020.
The good news is that Dallas only needs the defense to be competent to vault into playoff contention. The offense entered Week 18 fifth in EPA per play, seventh in success rate, and fourth in EPA per pass, per Sumer Sports. It's not like Jones has to build the Doomsday Defense overnight.
A new defensive coordinator, coupled with at least five new starters, should do the trick. It will require a lot of spending from a notoriously measured owner, but thankfully, Jones recognizes he wasted one of the best seasons from his $60 million quarterback.
Prescott would say that out loud if he could.